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Intrusive Thoughts: Normal or Not?

Anger, fantasies, fear, despair, and obsessions -- what is normal and what is not? Is your husband drinking too much? When does sadness become depression? What do those thoughts about your best friend's wife really mean?

By writing this blog we hope to open the door on private worries, and provide informed answers to commonplace questions about what is normal, what is wacky, and what is pathological. Our purpose is to provide an antidote to shame and worry by providing accurate information. If you have a question or something you have been wondering about-write to us. We want to hear from you and would be delighted to post on the topics you most want to hear about.

I'll begin with a topic near and dear to my heart: intrusive thoughts. I am a new mother. I adore my son. He is beautiful and sweet and playful. And, when he was younger, I couldn't stand at the top of my stairs without imagining myself dropping him down the stairs and seeing his tiny, helpless body writhing in pain. Scary image? Yes! Normal? Yes!

These are called intrusive thoughts. They happen to everyone and they can take many forms. Perhaps you've suddenly had the image of pushing someone off a train platform, kicking a dog, yelling in church, jumping out of a moving car, or stabbing someone you love. While doing or wanting to do any of these things is not normal, having intrusive thoughts like these is normal. Sometimes thoughts like these come to us precisely because we do not want to act in this way; they are simply the most inappropriate thing your mind can imagine.

It turns out that trying not to have such thoughts by pushing them out of your mind, can actually make them stick around. This effect was nicely shown by researchers at Harvard University. In their study, they asked people to NOT think of a white bear. Participants were allowed to think about anything they wanted, except a white bear. The problem with taking on this challenge is that our mind wants to constantly check to see how we're doing. We check to see if we are succeeding at NOT thinking of that white bear, and then, oh no, there's the bear.

The very act of monitoring your thoughts for the absence of a thought can make it occur more frequently. When someone becomes very distressed by their intrusive thoughts, goes to great lengths to get rid of them, and prevent them from occurring, this can become a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). People with this "bad thoughts" form of OCD often avoid things that could trigger these thoughts or being in situations where they might be at risk for acting on a thought. So, for example, someone might avoid taking the train, avoid using knives, or avoid holding a baby. In situations in which they can't avoid, they may turn to rituals, such as repetitive counting, or compulsive prayer to prevent anything bad from happening. If this sounds familiar to you, you might have OCD. To find out more, check out www.ocfoundation.org.

If you think you experience the more garden-variety form of intrusive thoughts-rest assured. They're normal. Next time they occur try to remember that there is a difference between a thought and an action, and don't waste your time trying to push the thought out of your mind. Just let it pop in and roll right out again. And don't hesitate to share the thought with a friend. They can be pretty entertaining (my husband tells me his all the time) and by sharing our experiences we take one more step toward figuring out what's normal.

Yesterday, when I was in subway I was thinking of this. Because I was standing by the door, there was a button to stop the train in the emergency case, I was always thinking if I pushed the button unconsciously.

Without knowing it, I often thought if I let such ideas roll through my head, then it keeps it from ever happening. I guess that was a good idea, without even knowing it.

How about this for another am I normal?
Fear of causing someone to do something because they might get hurt while doing it. You give a child a toy and somehow he/she is hurt playing with it. Or you invite someone to an event and they get in a car accident on their way to the event. Where does that fit in?

And if it should happen, to a serious extent, how does one deal with the aftermath?

I had a dream last night, I was being chased by zombies and eventually I was attacked by a female one.
When I instantly woke up, I thought my girlfriend and I heard a voice say "kill her". This scared me a lot. I could not sleep. I thought I was crazy, this brings peace of mind of some degree. However, it does re occur in my mind through this day. I guess the best way is to keep busy and distract myself. I would never hurt the love of my life. I would kill myself instantly even before touching her in a negative way. I appreciate this article and I wish the people with the same intrusive thoughts the best.

All my life, the one thing that scared me the most was harming someone OR developing some disease/disorder that made me not have control. I was with a friend, and this same kind of thing happened. I had a rough day (ok, really panicked day) and this happened. It made me have another attack (which was probably my anxiety's goal.) It's my best friend!!! I would never hurt her, so you are not alone.

I have struggled a lot with intrusive thoughts in the past. I believe it has something to do with my anxiety problems? So worried about being a bad person that I cause the worst of thoughts to pop into my head. It's nice to know that the bad thoughts I would never dream of carying out don't mean I'm evil or crazy.

I have always been told that simply worrying about your sanity/thinking you are crazy means you aren't.
I live the same problem, though. I have such bad anxiety, and one of my hang up's is harming people. Recently, it has been worse, because it got "better." Does that make sense? I started to not worry about it as much, and then I worried that it meant I was 'evil.'
But, I am trying my best to tell myself that it is OUR hangup. Look at yourself - are you a person who would never harm someone? What are your anxiety hang-ups? My best friend has OCD and worries constantly about germs. I personally could care less.. if I get sick, I get sick and get medicine. For her, it's like the end of the world.
When I think of hurting someone, I get so nervous and I start to think OMG, I AM SCHIZO AND I WILL NOT HAVE CONTROL! But we all have control! This is part of our disease. We will work on it!

I've always seemed to get intrusive thoughts. I have AS and this causes me a lot of anxiety. A few months ago these thoughts seemed to just go away like i'd beaten it, but now i have them again but with prominent physical reactions. For example, i will frequently get the image on the bus of just reaching out and snapping the neck of the person in front. Usually, I'd just let it drift on by, but now it causes an unbearable, itchy pain in my arm muscles, almost like im saying that the only way out is to do it. Then, o feel compelled to do anything else to get rid of it. I'll shake my arms around, hit a punchbag, anything, and it just stays. Then, i may mime the action of twisting as if i was actually doing it, and the pain goes away for five seconds beofre flooding back. It's like my brain is determined to just keep me hurting. I'd never want to kill or harm anyone, I KNOW this, but i have fears of others' percptions and how this will impact me. I.E. I'm a gamer to the core, and becasue i know i dont want to hurt anyone, i start thinking 'they'll lock me up and take all my games and action movies and everything remotely violent away from me.' And still, there's always that doubt as to whether it's real.

Thanks very much for this. I feel better now. I have too many thoughts of these kinds. I was worried and wondered if other people have such thoughts too and whether these things are normal. I feel relieved now. Once again Thanks for sharing this.

People like you are the main problem to many people with OCD and intrusive thoughts.

If you think about doing something it doesn't mean you will. If you think about killing someone it doesn't mean you will kill them. In fact, the more you stress and worry over that awful thought you just had - the less likely you are to do it.

Psychopaths don't feel sickened by their thoughts. A paedophile won't be revolted and horrified at the idea of raping a child. A murderer wouldn't think twice about the idea of killing someone.

Those of us who suffer these thoughts are left alone, to stew and be terrified, because people like you think there is something wrong with us.

I am quite aware that some of these thoughts are "scary." but please, do not post that we are "psychopaths" in such a forum.
Do you know how many of us worry that we are crazy? It's like the big symptom of anxiety - feeling that you are going to be out of control.
Many of us deal with thoughts that only heighten this respOnse. If we think we are crazy, then we spiral out of control and our anxiety has won!

You can judge us all you want. If you dont have anxiety, you won't get it.

I remember Brooke shields was on Oprah and she told her that she had thoughts of driving the car into the wall, even when her baby was with her. She suffered from depression.

I will repeat it - we are all "normal" in the context of anxiety sufferers. No, we are not normal for people who don't dont have anxiety. That would be the psychopath. But I have such high anxiety that it wants to make my life terrible, but I don't let it.

I recently read up on limerence as I got in touch with a woman I had a short affair with over 27 years ago. I noticed that intrusive thoughts happen to people in this state of mind and it has me bummed. I can't get her out of my mind and feel the same sort of love sickness I did almost 3 decades ago. I WANT MY BRAIN BACK. I know this too, shall pass, but what a phenomenon. Conventional wisdom say "do some activity that requires concentration so you can get it out of your head, but even then it intrudes.

nice to know im not alone. ive had really bad anxiety and depression and its horrible, you feel like you're going mad, but the fact is SO many people go through it and its not something to be ashamed of. ITS NORMAL!

nice to know im not alone. ive had really bad anxiety and depression and its horrible, you feel like you're going mad, but the fact is SO many people go through it and its not something to be ashamed of. ITS NORMAL!

I am so glad I found this. I have been so worried about my intrusive thoughts and what they ment as far as my mental stability. I have not been diagnosed, but I suffer from anxiety and depression. I have decided to make an apt to see someone about it. I too feel like I am going to freak out and go crazy one day or become out of control of my own mind. I think that is one of my biggest fears. It is sad we have to live with excessive worry, but nice to know I am not alone in how I feel every day. In some small way it helps. Thanks to all who share here.

I am so glad I found this. I have been so worried about my intrusive thoughts and what they ment as far as my mental stability. I have not been diagnosed, but I suffer from anxiety and depression. I have decided to make an apt to see someone about it. I too feel like I am going to freak out and go crazy one day or become out of control of my own mind. I think that is one of my biggest fears. It is sad we have to live with excessive worry, but nice to know I am not alone in how I feel every day. In some small way it helps. Thanks to all who share here.

well...ive been thinking bout the death of my parents....and i think i...kinda want it...or not..im not sure...is this count as instrusive thought??and is it normal??should i avoid it just like you wrote on that article?

I'm not sure if i'm completely OCD or if it's just an intrusive thought and I don't actually have the disorder. So about 3 weeks ago, I was sitting in the kitchen while my mom was washing the dishes and a very unwelcome thought popped into my head. I thought "Wow, it would be so easy to kill someone because nobody would expect it from me" (I have good grades, model student, good upbringing, got scholarships for college, etc) And god it just completely filled me with regret and anguish. I felt so scared for having thought that, I felt like I was going to go crazy and it was really scary. I had the thoughts for about a week, and then they calmed down because I know I would never act upon them. But they started again last week and they've been bothering me ever since. I hate that this has plagued me for so long. Again, i know i would never act upon the thought because honestly I cant even bring myself to kill a spider, much less a human being. And also, it just comes as a thought. I can't actually imagine myself doing it like it just doesn't happen. But it still scares me because it's like I think I would actually enjoy it though I know I wouldn't. I'm honestly just messaging you because I hate the fact that I had the thought in the first place, and it's really scary. I feel like I have nobody to talk to because that's not necessarily something you say in public. I know it's just a thought and that I would never act on it but it's still scary. :\

Hey, I feel you! I really do! I've been there. It's been kind of bad lately, but I know it's my anxiety. I had my best friend over a few weeks ago, and I was fine. I didn't really do it. But now? It's happening more because I'm stressed with school.

Don't think you're a bad person. It's part of our way of being anxious. I am a lot like you - the model student. I think, at least, that part of our issue is everything we hear. We are anxious and hypersensitive, so we take it all in. How many murderers were the "guy next door" type? That's all they say! It's all we hear. But, then, in the small print it has to say "actually, he was weird." Or something like that.

Just because we act different doesn't mean we are bad people. We have terrible anxiety!

I'm always here - I'm post 2/1 (it's February 1 now! :) ) reply back and we can talk and all of that.

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one going through this, thank you for replying! I've never really been diagnosed with OCD or anxiety so I just don't know where this is coming from. I was able to contact a doctor upstate because I saw his web page and I emailed him about what I was going though. He said the thoughts are completely normal, and that people tend to have them but most people just brush them off saying "wow what an odd thought" while others keep thinking about it which leads to the vicious cycle of OCD. He told me the best way to really get rid of them is to remind yourself they're just thoughts, which I have been doing for the past few days and its really helped. :) It just bothers me that I had those thoughts in the first place, and it's harder when you feel like you have no one to talk to. But I'm happy I've found a community of people who go through the same thing.

Stop thinking about you are a bad person or whatever...i know you wont do it...youre not a bad person for thinking it....everybody has a dArk side right?:) you probably a bad person,if you really do it....

The same exact thing happened to me about a year ago, and the thoughts plagued me for months. I remember it was March 3rd and everything was completely normal. I hadn't had any thoughts or terrible thoughts preceding this event, and didn't feel threatened by intrusive thoughts or anything. That night on March 3rd, I went to bed and before bed started reading 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' I was totally engrossed by the book and the mystery of it all, but when I was just about to finish it I came across this passage that compared killing someone to a hobby. And then the same exact thing that happened to you, happened to me. The thought popped into my head 'Well if it's like a hobby, then I could just go down and kill my mom and sister right now and it wouldn't be so bad.' A thought that completely goes against ALL of my morals and anything I've ever stood for. I was (still am) a model student, had gotten into an awesome college and was a three-sport captain at my school with the most loving of hearts for my family. But, unlike this article says (I wish I had read this at the time) with letting this thought roll out of your head, I didn't do that. I felt like I needed to delete the thought from my mind, and completely hyper-focused on NOT thinking about this thought. By doing this, my mind basically screwed myself over and turned this one intrusive thought into this OCD nightmare that lasted basically a half a year, until I started at college. I would count the months after the event, and make self-checks on whether or not I was back to normal. I would bring my dog to sleep in my bed with me because I would shake with anxiety, and I wouldn't be able to sleep at night because of the worry that I would act on these horrible thoughts. And then, I came across an article like this saying that thoughts happen to EVERYONE, and that it's normal, as long as you are repulsed by the thoughts. Just know your sense of self and that you would never do anything like this, keep a level head, and let these thoughts roll through your head. I've been in the same exact position as you, and it sucks. Hard. And not many people around me understood, but just keep on knowing that you are not that person and that those thoughts do not reflect who you are, as scary as they may be.

I know its a few months later but Ive been feeling very similar to the way you do. I've always dealt with obsessive intrusive thoughts (since I was 12 and i am now 24) and its always been a struggle. The past couple of days I have been feeling really lonely because i have been so stuck and aware of what goes through my head and its so much at a fast pace that i dont even know where to begin to let it out because its so much. To top it off i dont speak to anyone about it because i dont have close friends who can relate.( or at least i think they can't). But i try my best to stay positive and keep busy with needs to get done. Hope you're doing better now ;-)

After a bit of thought on this, I have a theory for why this occurs in so many people. Naturally, as we grow and adapt to society, we learn to curb our own desires/ expressions, etc. for the sake of social harmony. I have noticed it is when I have really had to put on an act for an extended period of time, ie...traveling for work with the boss who I know doesn't care for me, that I will have the urge/thought to do something maverick, spontaneous and crazy. Comporting oneself in an unatural way for long periods of time makes the pushback of the psyche stronger, so the mind has a tendency to reel against chronic social conformity. Do any of you agree?relate?

How often do "normal" people have these thoughts? I'd think about hitting pretty much every pedestrian I see on the sidewalk everyday... All the examples you gave I seem to have. Pretty much have intrusive thoughts everyday.

Not knowing your history, I can't say whether this would be normal for you or not. If when you were a baby, your dad had you on his lap while watching the original Death Race 2000, then this type of intrusive thought would be perfectly normal, though of course acting upon it beyond rolling down a window and yelling "little old lady 50 points!" Would not.

Is it normal,if im thinking about bombing my school and people i hate,when im mad or embaressed i always thought of doing this things....have you ever imagine youre a terrorist or something?:) is this only intrusive thought or maybe mental illness?but im not psycho cause i can feel emphaty :)

The "ego" (non-Freudian use) is that part of our mind which believes in conflict and attack. Everyone has it. Fundamentally, the ego is simply the belief that we are "separate" from Reality, and that Love is divided. Once you believe that Love is divided, the belief in conflict and attack naturally follows.

Let your ego throw its tantrums; let the senseless thoughts come and go. And through it all, cultivate an attitude of compassion and forgiveness (it comes from Love) toward yourself. Eventually, you will reach a point where the thoughts become less shrill, intrusive, and bothersome.

*Disclaimer: if you actually believe that you may act on a destructive or aggressive thought, you may want to discuss this with a pastor or counselor

The "ego" (non-Freudian use) is that part of our mind which believes in conflict and attack. Everyone has it. Fundamentally, the ego is simply the belief that we are "separate" from Reality, and that Love is divided. Once you believe that Love is divided, the belief in conflict and attack naturally follows.

Let your ego throw its tantrums; let the senseless thoughts come and go. And through it all, cultivate an attitude of compassion and forgiveness (it comes from Love) toward yourself. Eventually, you will reach a point where the thoughts become less shrill, intrusive, and bothersome.

*Disclaimer: if you actually believe that you may act on a destructive or aggressive thought, you may want to discuss this with a pastor or counselor

I am in a respectable profession and have to talk to so many ladies every day. I don't have any sick thoughts but I am unable to resist my self from looking at the chest of ladies. Most of the times people get irritated and give unpleasant looks to me. As I am trying hard to stop this crazy stuff i am becoming more anxious and problem is becoming severe. Some times other people can also read my looks, with the feeling of this i am becoming more nervous and avoiding even to look at the person while talking. Please help me what to do.

well as a Obsessive thinking/ocd I have avoided looking my disorder up on the Internet, but i've been having a pretty crappy week so I thought I would just brouse and see if there was some tips on getting by, im really glad I did because I dont feel so alone now! My story begins like this: Last October I started getting invasive thoughts about hurting my kids. The main thought was I saw myself strangling my little girl, I fell into the deepest depression that I have ever been in (black hole could describe it the best) I really thought that I was going to turn into the "evil" mom that you see on TV. I literally thought I was going crazy for 5 months. I tried to push the thought away so much that it came back everytime stronger then before. So 6 months ago I broke down and started going to therapy. My therapist told me that I wasnt going crazy but I turned my intrusive thought into ocd thinking. I have learned alot of helpful tips and they do help alot such as sitting with the thought/anxiety, so uncomfortable! My therapist calls it "desensitizing". I hope my story helps and makes you feel that you are not going "crazy" or alone, because invasive thoughts have a way of making you feel that you are completely alone and know one will understand what you are going through.

So true, that you can't erase thoughts by thinking about them, but you can give your brain something else to think of. It can be helpful to analyze where the thought comes from. If it's a fear, is it rational? Do you need to get more information? If you imagine killing your spouse, get to the bottom of why you're so angry. Perhaps you need to detach or set boundaries instead of building up resentments. I'd sometimes be driving on the freeway and scare myself that the my tire would blow out or the engine would stop. Replace negative thoughts with something positive. In that situation, I focus on the scenery or think positively about where I'm going.
Darlene Lancer, MFT
Author of Codependency for Dummieswww.whatiscodependency.com

So true, that you can't erase thoughts by thinking about them, but you can give your brain something else to think of. It can be helpful to analyze where the thought comes from. If it's a fear, is it rational? Do you need to get more information? If you imagine killing your spouse, get to the bottom of why you're so angry. Perhaps you need to detach or set boundaries instead of building up resentments. I'd sometimes be driving on the freeway and scare myself that the my tire would blow out or the engine would stop. Replace negative thoughts with something positive. In that situation, I focus on the scenery or thinking positively about where I'm going.
Darlene Lancer, MFT
Author of Codependency for Dummieswww.whatiscodependency.com

Wow, I can't believe everyone has that, I thought I was the only one! It's used to be really bad, and I was scared to death that I would jump out of my car, or intentionally wreck my bike or something, and sometimes it got so bad I would feel sick thinking about it, and it was bordering on OCD. I would purposefully not sit up front so that I couldn't even if I wanted to. It's not that bad anymore though. It actually started with the exact same thing you mentioned, dropping a baby down the stairs.

im 18 and im just coming up to my final A level exams, i would say im quite a mature student, i can make reasonable decisions and get on with anyone however i made a connection a while ago about how i used to be and what it could mean in the future. as ridiculous as this might sound it scared the hell out of me at the time.

as a younger student my humor, and that of my friends, would be called 'dark' or 'sick' i.e murder jokes, rape jokes, paedo jokes. at the time this didnt bother me and i never gave the jokes a second thought since people like Frankie Boyle and the makers of family guy also found this so funny. but all boys and even girls can be revolting or naughty when younger, its all part of the curve of life.

a few months ago i thought about the actual context of the jokes and i thought 'well if i find this funny, maybe im perverted and capable of these acts' which seems stupid to me now because i find these jokes so repulsive and the thought of doing something like it makes me feel sick. therefore i know im not capable of being one of the above. these thoughts and fears rolled around in my head so much, i didnt tell anyone about it, i was scared to be around children, even hearing the neighbours' kid laugh scared me, i eventually told my mum and she said we all have a horrible thought at one point or other and dont worry about it, its normal. but i couldnt tell her the extent of my worries because these thoughts even frightened me, god knows what my mum would have thought, i thought i was 'mental' and seeing a therapist would ruin my life because i'd have the stigma of 'needing help' for the rest of my life.

searching around on the internet i found these intrusive thought pages and they illustrated everything i was afraid of and was thinking at the time and to know others, like you guys, go through this problem washed me over with relief. as far as im concerned none of us have a 'severe problem' no one here is a 'psycho' as one fella on here so described. i self diagnosed my problem as intrusive thoughts by anxiety, i wouldnt go far as to call it OCD as i no longer find my self shaking with fear or worry that i will do something. thats not to say im 'cured' or 'a-okay' since i probably will still have a phobia of children from my previous attitude to such poor thought i.e jokes. i still get thoughts of hurting people or abuse etc. and i think 'what the hell is this?' but honestly, the more you think and worry about it the worse itll make it for you, i still wont go to therapy because i feel id communicate the problem wrongly and end up getting a worse analysis from the therapist than it actually is.

but my mum supports me and knows it's nothing, i've told her all about this site.
if some of you reading this think im still not down to their level i even thought of suicide months ago, not as far as planning or writing a letter but 'i could jump down these stairs, would this knife kill me? who would would be dissapointed'. but now i wouldnt dream of this since i knows what is wrong but also what is completely normal for a human being.

WELL DONE everyone, none of you need extensive help, you dont need to kill yourself, there is no 'way out' because you arent 'in' any kind of danger of harming others.

So it was the week after christmas 2013 and i was at my girlfriends apartment preparing dinner for us when I started to get an attack of intrusive thoughts. Death. Murder and suicide. I started to panic. I started to feel physically sick.

I went to Church as usual that night with my girlfriend. Could I settle? No. I imagined jumping off the balcony of the church and a whole host of other things.

These symptoms decreased across the month and now I only get them very vaguely now and again but they still make me feel sad and well crazy too. I mostly get them when I'm bored or when I'm with my girlfriend.

I've no history of anything like this either and as I say it just started one day, a week after Christmas :(

I have thoughts like this every now and then. Usually it happens when I pick up a sharp knife when my daughter, wife or cat is nearby. I would never act on those thoughts and they go away quickly. But I am always horrified that my mind just automatically conjures those images. I found this article because I was worried that they may have been something wrong with me for thinking these things. I am glad I am not alone.

I've dealt with this for a long time, too...always associated with depression and anxiety. I'm experiencing depression lately as well as anxiety. Today, as I was trying to relax and take a nap, I had my eyes closed and was thinking about getting a stationery bike. In the middle of my thoughts I had an intrusive thought with a visual. My eyes were still closed, but this woman appears in my thoughts and starts talking about how she went about getting an exercise bike. I scared me so bad that I quickly opened my eyes and decided to go to the grocery store and get some things we need at the house. So of course now I'm feeling scared and like there is something seriously wrong with me.

Lately lot of disturbing images are popping out inside my thoughts especially to the people that I called friends. I am recognized as a top student in my graduation, got a decent job right after my graduation and everything is going well.
My friends are always telling me that I'm great because I can do this, and I can do that, and they say that I am a really smart person and I am really happy when they said that. But I don't know why and when it started, that suddenly strange thoughts are filling my mind, like hurting others physically or mentally in many different ways.
I thought that I am so bad that I actually decide to isolate myself from them. I stay quiet and stop socializing with them because I kinda fear and disgust myself for having thought like that.

This is sort of an old thread now but I'll comment anyway. I came here after reading an article (and many comments) about depression at Ars Technica. An unexpected place to find such a thing, and very instructive. The phrase "intrusive thoughts" was used often in the article and many times in many comments.

OK, I now have an improved idea of what "intrusive thoughts" means.

I will sometimes get a bit "stuck" thinking about a particular thing, but dark ones like "I could drive over the curb and mow down fifty pedestrians" I certainly do not have. Calling this sort of thing "normal" might be statistically correct (maybe), but I don't think in this case that "normal" should equal "OK." Whether you will act on such thoughts is a problem separate from whether having them bothers you.

When I'm in the kitchen slicing a tomato with a very sharp knife, thoughts do tend to come into my head. They are, however, ordinary day-to-day thoughts. The only danger they pose is that they will steal my attention and I risk cutting myself because the attention to my task has drifted. If someone else comes into the room, thoughts about plunging the knife into them, rather than what's up next on my cutting board do not flood into my thinking without permission. (Or at all.) If they did, I would be deeply concerned. Whether such thoughts were "normal" would not be my focus.

If the comments are any indication, having such thought can be very disturbing, unnerving, frightening. And provoke desperate (usually broken) attempts to try to make them go away.

This all might be statistically normal, but it certain is not OK and should not be brushed off (as the author of the piece did).

Separately... I do sometimes indulge in thinking "weird" thoughts. The thoughts don't burst upon me by themselves. Rather, I intentionally stretch the boundaries of polite thinking. I consider it exercise and preparedness. How do fiction writers create dialog for unsavory characters? How does "Security" prepare for a violent attack by extremists? For these sorts of work, people may need to think unusual, impolite, disorienting, scary, dangerous (if acted upon) thoughts.

I'm skeptical about my next idea, but I throw it out nevertheless. I wonder if past, long time inhibition plays any part in the appearance of intrusive thoughts. I am perfectly comfortable considering thoughts that may shock more delicate people. If I'm feeling frisky, I might even drop a hint of one into a conversation simply to see what kind of reaction I get. These thoughts are bloodless and don't even really have any victims.

How much of how many people's lives is spent trying to avoid thinking, or thinking about, impolite, naughty, scary, weird thoughts? ("Oh my god! They would?? With a what!? Oh no, how repulsive!! OMG! OMG!!" Yeesh, go outside and take a few deep breaths. It's been done. Dinosaurs.) I wonder if repressing impolite thoughts can lead to them popping into your consciousness all by themselves.

Not because you plan to (or fear that you will) become a terrorist, but for the mental exercise, try this one. Were the pilots who flew hijacked airplanes into the World Trade Center towers insane evil madmen? Or, can you imagine a situation where a "normal" person (perhaps even yourself) would have a rational reason for doing such a thing? You may need to think thoughts that are uncomfortable to consider, in order to manage that.

"I could push him right into the path of that commuter train..." Yeah, and if you relaxed your right hand that expensive coffee drink you're holding would fall to the floor and onto the tracks instead. Lots of things could happen. You could do lots of things, at every instant. "There's traffic flying past and the sign says DON'T WALK. But I could walk! I could walk right into traffic."

Well, yes. Yes you could. And so? Personally, in that case my thoughts are more that I could accidentally stumble into the path of traffic, or be accidentally (hey, even intentionally) pushed. Thinking these thoughts, I choose to stand a few feet back from the curb (or the drop-off at the commuter train stop). Why did "I could walk into traffic" pop into your head, instead of "Ooh... a bit risky standing just here, I think I'll move back a few steps?"

There's no way to know who might stumble across this page. So I will end with a small suggestion: If thoughts like "I could push him off the platform" get to being voices that tell you "push him now!" -- Don't waste your time concerning yourself about whether this is "normal." Instead, immediately seek help.

I almost feel better reading this. Thank You. At 8 years old I was taken from my very sick mother and my drunk father. Both were into drugs and drinking more than they were into being parents. I have faint memories of my childhood hiding in staircases and living in the basement of our two bedroom condo, waking up to my mothers music and vagley remember her saying it was to keep the voices away ( or something like that ) our house was dark, I wasnt allowed to play with toys and often when I came home from school my mother had me polishing our cheep wellfair wood floors. My mother had schizophrenia among other things. I'm 22 years old now, I was diagnosed with anxiety, and depression as a child and now I think i'm getting OCD which are all things my mother had. I to have intrusive thoughts and have to hide things on myself. I dont own a single sharp knife, having butter knives and forks scare me. The number 3, 6, and 13 scare me and a group of numbers that may add up to any of the above. I also am oddly afraid of the time 4:20 just because every time I look at the clock it seems to be that time and I am left to wonder if thats bad luck or good luck. I'm also afraid of the color red. I'm scared to talk to my doctor because I have a family of my own. I am scared what the doctor might tell me. I try to ignore it and hope it will go away. I'm so glad I'm not alone.

I suffer from anxiety & intrusive thoughts - thank you for this forum and the positive replies that are so helpful to all. We can't help that some people are ignorant.

I often wonder how screen writers and authors of horror/crime etc. stories cope with the thoughts they have for inspiration? Just think of some of the most shocking films and frightening books that exist - someone had to think of those horrid scenes actually taking place. I'm sure some of the writers do obsess about their creations but I'm also sure that the majority of them live free of having those thoughts take a vice grip on their mind. They simply let them pass.

The imagination is both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes when I think of a particularly nasty intrusive thought, I jokingly say to myself "that would make a good scene in a movie - I should try and remember that one". I find this sometimes helps me focus on the fact that it's just a thought. Not an action. And I am more in control than I think.

A few years ago I was obsessed with flappy bird and would think "if I don't beat my high score, my parents will die in a plane crash" and that scared me so much that I trained myself to ignore those thoughts and they went away. Not to say that I still don't have random intrusive thoughts... Some are less intrusive than others. Like I was on a plane a few weeks ago and suddenly thought "I hope the plane crashes" but I obviously don't.

Or like when my teacher is writing on the board and I imagine him getting shot or some other weird shit like that.. Or my cat meowing in the bathroom and Invisioning myself slamming the door on him...

These are NORMAL and obviously I don't really want to do these things. And they make me feel extremely uncomfortable.

The thoughts started for me a few years ago. I have always had anxiety since I was little and used to wake up in the middle of the night to get my mom because I was worried that something was going to happen to my family, but never had intrusive thoughts. Those started in college when I saw on the news that someone had killed tons of people one night. I started researching this (which is awful because it gives me more anxiety) and then I got worried that one day I was going to be evil like that guy. Ever since, the thoughts come up every once in a while. I have a hard time reading the news and watching movies that involve death because it makes me wonder why they do the things they do and then makes me worry that I am going to be like that one day. I constantly worry about something happening to my loved ones, which sometimes makes me worry that whatever is going to happen to them is going to be because of me. Its very scary, and I have a feeling that all of this anxiety is because I care about others a little TOO much, if that makes any sense. When someone is killed, I truly care for their family and feel awful for their pain, and then worry. Its strange but I did hear that people who have intrusive thoughts will never, ever, act upon them as death and losing a loved one is their biggest fear. The people out their that are "evil" do not have these thoughts, they just act upon it. I have learned to tell myself that my brain is playing tricks on me (as the brain is extremely powerful) and that I am such a wonderful person that would never even hurt a fly. That has helped me is some ways.